Exploring perceptions and attitudes towards teaching and learning manual technical drawing in a digital age

This paper examines the place of manual technical drawing in the 21st century by discussing the perceived value and relevance of teaching school students how to draw using traditional instruments, in a world of computer aided drafting (CAD). Views were obtained through an e-survey, questionnaires and structured interviews. The sample groups represent professional CAD users (e.g. engineers, architects); university lecturers; Technology Education teachers and student teachers; and school students taking Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) Graphic Communication courses. An analysis of these personal views and attitudes indicates some common values between the various groups canvassed of what instruction in traditional manual technical drafting contributes towards learning. Themes emerge such as problem solving, visualisation, accuracy, co-ordination, use of standard conventions, personal discipline and artistry. In contrast to the assumptions of Prensky's thesis (2001a&b) of digital natives, the study reported in this paper indicate that the school students apparently appreciate the experience of traditional drafting. In conclusion, the paper illustrates the perceived value of such learning in terms of transferable skills, personal achievement and enjoyment

Exploiting popular culture : exploring pedagogical and motivational approaches for design and technology education

This paper describes a case study of pedagogical developments carried out with teachers and secondary school students in response to new curriculum content in Product Design courses presented in Scottish secondary schools. The pedagogy attempts to challenge the anti-commercial manufacturing attitude that prevails among teachers and students and is based on motivational principles. It makes explicit use of the language and tools of popular media culture, specifically 'ask the audience' interaction and investigative forensic science. An electronic voting system is incorporated as an introduction to detailed product evaluation and technical analysis collaborative activities. It examines the educational potential of such ICT systems to help students explore emotional response, product semantics and value judgements and make connections to commercial manufacturing detail design

Impact of change on Attitudes, Skills and Professional Learning Requirements: Survey of secondary teachers of Craft, Design, Engineering and Graphics

This is an independent report based on a national survey. It forms part of a funded project with Education Scotland. It is designed to capture the attitudes and thoughts of teachers currently involved in the implementation of the new curriculum arrangements and the teaching, learning and assessment inherent in delivery. The purpose of this report is to guide and inform future support, advice and guidance for professional learning and further research enquiry. Critically, it offers an overview of current thoughts, as a snap shot of time, set in the context of the roll out of the senior phase of DET

Exploring creativity and progression in transition through assessment is for learning

This paper provides an overview of the aims, methods and findings of the Capability and Progression in Transition through Assessment for Learning in Design and Technology (CAPITTAL-DT) project. This project, funded by Determined to Succeed Scotland, aimed to identify useful approaches to aid progression in creativity through the current initiative entitled 'Assessment is for learning' (AifL, SEED, 2002). AifL encourages learners and teachers to engage with assessment for, as, and of learning and adopt a range of strategies and ideas. The project team gathered baseline and follow up data from teachers and learners using questionnaires to gauge attitudes towards creativity, structured conceptual design activities to assess performance, learner evaluations and teacher interviews. The team concludes that there is scope for adopting the tools explored to support formative and sustainable assessment strategies and approaches to gathering meaningful indicators that can be embedded into enterprising teaching and learning for Design and Technology Education

Teacher education for technological literacy: a Scottish perspective

Two cohorts have completed the first two years of a new four-year degree course, B.Ed Design and Technology, at the University of Strathclyde. As the third cohort progresses, we consider progress to date and ask the question: does the course educate for technological literacy and provide our students with the capability to educate for technological literacy withperspectivesensitivitycreativity andconfidence?(Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum, 1994, p.5, 6)When Jordanhill College of Education merged with University of Strathclyde in 1993, there was a timely opportunity to create a new degree in accordance with the 'Guidelines for Initial Teacher Training' issued by the Scottish Office Education Department (1993). National development and deliberations, together with feedback from schools and students, made it clear that certain changes were necessary in order to meet the needs of teachers who would be preparing our young people for the next millennium. This resulted in the B.Ed (Hons) Design and Technology

Impact of change on Attitudes, Skills and Professional Learning Requirements: Survey of secondary teachers of Craft, Design, Engineering and Graphics

This is an independent report based on a national survey. It forms part of a funded project with Education Scotland. It is designed to capture the attitudes and thoughts of teachers currently involved in the implementation of the new curriculum arrangements and the teaching, learning and assessment inherent in delivery. The purpose of this report is to guide and inform future support, advice and guidance for professional learning and further research enquiry. Critically, it offers an overview of current thoughts, as a snap shot of time, set in the context of the roll out of the senior phase of DET

Chicken or egg: links between approaches to gathering data through authentic assessment activity and ways of supporting sustainable assessment of creative performance

This paper draws on research conducted to explore issues of creativity and sustainable assessment in the context of primary/secondary transition. The research project (Capability and Progression in Transition through Assessment for Learning in Design and Technology: CAPITTAL-DT; McLaren et al. 2006) was undertaken in associate primary and secondary school settings in 2 local authorities in Scotland and was funded by the Determined to Succeed division within Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED). The research undertaken had two drivers. The first was evidence from within Scotland that both teaching and learning of Design and Technology was identified as weak (e.g. HMIE 2002, Dakers 2005), that of particular concern was the tendency for teachers to focus on making products rather than on thinking skills and creative processes and that assessment as part of learning and teaching was “good or better in only 24% of schools” (HMIE 2004). The second driver was research that had just been completed for the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) that explored approaches to assessing creativity within Design & Technology (the Assessing Design Innovation project, Kimbell et al. 2004). This research utilised an approach to authentic summative assessment that indicated additional potential to contribute to assessment for learning. These two drivers combined to provide both a research need and a research opportunity. The study involved learners from 7 schools. The participants (n=225) were in Primary 6 (10-11years old), Primary7 (11-12years old) and Secondary 1 (12-13 years old). Intervention and control research cohorts were created to take a quasi-experimental approach. The research gathered baseline and follow-up data before and after transition (either from Primary 6 to Primary 7, or from Primary 7 to Secondary 1) and, for intervention cohorts, tracked curricula experiences in the intervening 9-month period. The baseline and follow-up data was gathered through authentic assessment activities adapted and developed from the Assessing Design Innovation project. The dataset was created from: - a ‘Learner Attitudes Towards Creativity’ questionnaire; - an authentic assessment activity structure (Stables & Kimbell, 2000; Kimbell et al., 2004); - a ‘learner evaluation’ questionnaire. A range of data was created by the study: - quantitative performance data derived from a creativity assessment rubric (Kimbell et al, 2004); - quantitative attitudinal and evaluative data; - qualitative guided and free response data that was analysed using derived content analysis; - qualitative data derived from semi-structured interviews with teachers to provide illustrative accounts of the related learning and teaching that had been undertaken between baseline and follow-up data collection. This paper explores the relationship between the approaches used for data gathering, the findings from the data and the insights offered for further approaches to sustainable assessment. Analysis of the data showed links between the creative performance of learners, their attitudes to creativity, the level of sophistication they demonstrated in self and peer reflection and, most importantly, how these changed over the transition period. The ability to gather and relate these data was created by the use of the authentic assessment activity as the core stimulus for the data. This paper will provide an insight into how this was undertaken and explore the potential the approach offers other curriculum areas